


Love and War

by BellaLeigh



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2019-11-14 23:28:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18062246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaLeigh/pseuds/BellaLeigh
Summary: When Andrea Labonair runs away from her own birthday party, she has only two things on her mind: getting good and drunk, and testing out the fake I.D. that she hopes will be her ticket to freedom. And then Elijah Mikaelson of all people throws one heck of a monkey wrench in her escape plans. The question is, will either of them live long enough for them to find their happy ending?Non-Con is so far just a forced kiss from Jackson.





	1. A Tale of Two Engagements

_**This is my first attempt at an AU. It’s going to be a Romeo and Juliet type story. Everybody is strictly human.** _

_**TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING:A bit of non-con and later chapters may get pretty violent.** _

**~Love and War~**

Elijah’s phone buzzed, making him put the contract he was reading down to look at it. He had to smile when he saw that it was a group text from Marcel to the three younger Mikaelson brothers.

MG: SHE SAID YES!

NM: Look at him acting like he’s surprised. I mean, it’s not like Rebekah has been chasing him since second grade, or anything.

He laughed and started typing into his phone.

EM: Leave him be, Niklaus. He’s allowed to be excited, today. Congratulations, Marcel. And welcome to the family.

MG: Thank you! Anyway, we are all going out to Rousseau’s to celebrate. Elijah, you are not allowed to work late, tonight.

KM: You know that Rousseau’s is out for me, guys.

NM: You do know that you are allowed to leave Davina for one night, right? You aren’t actually required to spend every waking moment with her.

MG: It’s okay, Klaus. Kol and Davina are new. Rebekah and I totally understand. We were actually thinking of taking them out to dinner one night for a double date. But, you and Elijah have no excuse, and are meeting us at Rousseau’s.

EM: If I tried to say that I have a client meeting on Monday I need to prepare for, what are the odds of me being alive to worry about it?

MG: Rebekah knows where you sleep.

EM: That’s what I thought. Well, that means that I need to get back to work so I get everything together before I need to be over there. I’ll see you this evening.

He muted his phone and put it down. And then picked the contract he had been reading back up. Actually, taking a night off would probably be a good thing. The words were all starting to move around the page. He started organizing his papers and putting them into his briefcase. His little sister would probably have a fit if she knew that he intended to spend the weekend working. But, at least he wouldn’t miss her engagement party.

**~Love and War~**

What Andrea really wanted was a fricking drink. Which, shouldn’t be that damned hard, today of all days. But, no. Somehow, alcohol was nowhere to be found. Who threw a twenty-first birthday party and didn’t have alcohol? People who needed to control every aspect of the birthday girl’s life, that’s who.

She was getting sick of it. And the way Jackson and her foster parents kept glancing over at her told her that her night was only going to get worse. And that she was going to need a whole lot of alcohol to get through it. Between the speculative looks, and the way they all kept whispering together… She was pretty sure that she didn’t even want to know what they were planning.

And then Jackson stood up and walked over to her. Taking her hand, he dragged her into the center of the room. “Can I have everybody’s attention, please?” The room grew quiet as everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at them. “As you all know, it was decided a very long time ago that someday, Andrea and I would get married. Today, on her twenty-first birthday, I am taking the first step to making that happen.”

Decided by who? Her parents? Or was it really just her foster parents, telling her that this is what her parents would want as a way to control her? If it really was her parents, then she hoped that they were burning in Hell.

The bastard didn’t even pretend that this actually had anything to do with her. Never mind getting on one knee, he didn’t even bother to _ask_ her. He just pulled a ring box out of his pocket, opened it, and forced the gaudiest ring she had ever seen in her life onto her finger. Yeah, let’s not even pretend that she had a choice, here. Let’s not even pretend that what she wanted mattered at all. What was it to her, anyway? Just the entire rest of her life.

Everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to say something. She looked at the horrible ring on her finger, and said the only acceptable thing she could bring herself to say. “It’s huge.” Somebody snickered. It sounded like Oliver. _Get your mind out of the gutter, asshole. Somehow I really doubt I’m going to be saying anything remotely like that on my wedding night._ After all, with his penchant for the big, expensive, and flashy, Jackson was probably seriously compensating for something.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Crap! If there was one thing she really didn’t want, it was to kiss Jackson Kenner. But, as with everything else about her life, nobody cared what she wanted. Least of all, Jackson. Before she had time to react, she was in his arms, his mouth was on hers, and his tongue was forcing it’s way into her mouth. It was all she could do not to gag.

And there was everybody cheering. Either nobody noticed her utter disgust, or nobody cared. She was betting on the latter. Nobody here gave a damn about her. Was this really going to be her life? And then she had people patting her on the back and congratulating her. For what, exactly? It wasn’t like she wanted any part of this.

Eventually, everything settled down, and she ran to the bathroom to rinse her mouth out. Except, when she got out, Jackson was waiting for her in the hallway. “So… I was thinking you should spend the night, tonight. We could have a more private celebration.”

Sex. The man was asking her for sex. If she had anything to say about it, she would die a virgin before she ever had sex with him. Though, she had a horrible suspicion that she wouldn’t have a say in that, either. But, she wasn’t quite his property, yet.

“I promised myself a long time ago that I would save myself for my wedding night. I’m not getting a say in anything else, at least let me have that.”

“Yeah. Of course. It will make it that much more special, then. I can wait.” Somehow it didn’t surprise her that the rest went straight over his head. Or, more likely, he just didn’t care what she wanted. But, at least she had bought herself some time.

She needed some air. Actually, what she needed was to run. Run far away and never come back. She had a fake I.D. that she had never used, but Tyler swore would stand up to any scrutiny. Even get her onto a plane. She would still need to figure something out later. Because he would know the name she was using. But, she could become Hayley Marshall long enough to get out of New Orleans. Pawn this horrible ring, use that money to hop onto a plane to somewhere far away. Then hitchhike to somewhere else, so there was no way to track her. She grabbed her purse.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would run. Fly to New York, and then hitchhike to Chicago or somewhere. And take back her fucking life. But for tonight, she still really needed a fucking drink. Seemed like the perfect way to test out her I.D.


	2. Just one drama free night

Rousseau’s seemed like a pretty nice place. Not that Andrea… no, Hayley, she had to get used to answering to Hayley… had much in the way of comparison. Just what she saw on tv and movies, really. But, the lighting was brighter than what she was expecting and it had more of a cozy feel. Actually, with the number of tables, it almost looked more like a restaurant than a bar. And why had she been expecting it to be smoky in here? She really had watched too much tv, probably.

She started to walk to the bar to order herself her first real drink, when the events of the day finally caught up to her. Her stomach was doing flips, it felt like. She tried to fight it, but the queasiness was definitely too much to ignore. She ran to the bathroom.

** ~Love and War~ **

Elijah wasn’t really surprised to be the last one to arrive. He was the workaholic in the group, after all. Which meant that he was probably the only one still at work when Marcel texted them. 

The others were already at a table, and Rebekah was waving him over. He had to laugh when he noticed that she was waving with her left hand. Showing off that new ring. 

He walked over to them, and kissed her on the cheek, then gave Niklaus and Marcel quick hugs. “Sorry I’m late. Had some last minute paperwork to take care of.” He took the empty seat between Niklaus and Rebekah, and draped his suit jacket over the back of the chair. 

“You and your paperwork. And just work in general. You need to loosen up a bit.”

“If you ask me, what he needs is to get laid.”

“Honestly, Niklaus, must you be so vulgar? My sex life is hardly any of your concern.”

“Maybe not. But it should be  _ somebody’s _ concern. You are in desperate need of a good time, big brother.”

“Nik, enough. We’re here to celebrate, not to give Elijah a hard time about that stick he’s got shoved up his ass.”

That stung a bit. Was that really how his family saw him? Yes, he tended to be more serious than the others. But, somebody needed to be serious around here. Besides, part of that was from trying to be a buffer between them and their father - and lately their oldest brother. Not that he could let it show that he was hurt by the remarks. Not tonight. He didn’t want to ruin Rebekah’s evening. Tonight was supposed to be about her. Dealing with his own issues could wait. “So, little sister, are you going to show me that ring of yours?”

And, situation defused. Rebekah squealed and held out her left hand. Elijah didn’t know much about jewelry, but the ring did certainly seem to be to her tastes. In fact, he was pretty sure that he saw her eying that very ring not a month ago when Kol had dragged them all out to look at earrings for Davina’s birthday. He raised an eyebrow at Marcel, who winked in return. Come to think of it, did Kol even buy anything that trip?

It seemed that his future brother-in-law was quite sneaky when he wanted to be. Though, Elijah had to admit that it was a good way to make sure she would like the ring while still making it a surprise.

And then Rebekah stood up. “I need to use the ladies room. Elijah, when I get back, it will be your turn to buy drinks. That’s what you get for being late.” She stuck her tongue out at him before turning and walking away. 

Elijah just smiled and shook his head. 

** ~Love and War~ **

Every time Hayley thought she had finally emptied her stomach, she caught sight of the huge, gaudy ring Jackson had forced onto her left hand and found herself heaving, again. Finally, she took the thing off and shoved it in her purse. Much like her fiance himself, that ring was nothing she would have chosen for herself. It wasn’t meant as a symbol of love and commitment. It was a sign of ownership. A flashing neon sign shouting for all the world to see that Andrea Labonair was taken. Whether she wanted to be or not.

When she finally felt safe leaving the stall, she found herself face to face with a very pretty blonde. “You all right, there?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” She washed her hands and then rinsed her mouth out. “Just having a bit of a rough night, is all.”

“A bit too much to drink, then?”

Hayley shrugged. “Actually, I haven’t even started drinking, yet.”

“Okay, if it isn’t too much alcohol, and you aren’t sick, then what is it? Please don’t tell me that you’re pregnant. Because you would have no business being here, if you were.”

Hayley laughed at that. “No. Not pregnant. Not even a remote possibility. Family drama has me stressed out, is all.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of family drama has you so stressed that you’re in here puking your guts out?”

“Honestly? The kind of family drama that would have a girl run away from her own birthday party because spending her twenty-first birthday in jail waiting for her murder trial didn’t sound like her idea of a good time.” And she was telling this to a stranger because? Oh, yeah. Because that stranger seemed more concerned about her than the people who were supposed to care about her ever were.

“Well, happy birthday! Though, if you were at your own twenty-first birthday party, how in the world have you not had anything to drink yet, today?”

“You know, I spent most of the time I was at my party asking myself that same question.”

“Well, then. You are in desperate need of some fun. My fiance, my brothers, and I are all here celebrating my engagement. You can help me break up the sausage fest that my party somehow became, and I can make my brother buy you your first legal drink.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m fine, really. I am perfectly capable of buying my own drinks.”

“Not on your birthday, you aren’t. I’m Rebekah, by the way.”

“I’m Hayley.” She was quite proud of how the name just rolled off her tongue. There was no hesitation at all. It seemed that leaving Andrea behind might not be as difficult as she would have thought it would be.

“Nice to meet you, Hayley. Now then, if you’re quite finished emptying your stomach, we should get out there before one of the boys bugs some poor waitress to come check on me - or decides to just come in here, himself.”

“Rebekah, that’s really very sweet of you. But, you don’t really want to spend one of the happiest days of your life hanging out with some girl you just met in a public restroom. Especially not one who just admitted to maybe not being the best company, tonight.” Inwardly, she was sighing. While Rebekah was out celebrating her engagement, Hayley was throwing up every time she even thought of her own. It wasn’t fair, really. What had she done to deserve not having a say in her own life? So, she was born a Labonair. She hadn’t exactly asked for  _ that _ either. Was she being punished for something she did in a previous life?

“That’s quite enough of that, young lady. If I didn’t want you to join us, I wouldn’t have asked. Come along, then.” And she grabbed Hayley’s arm and pulled her out of the restroom and back into the bar. And to a table where three very good looking men were sitting.

** ~Love And War~ **

Elijah couldn’t help raising an eyebrow when Rebekah came back to the table all but dragging a very pretty young woman along with her.

“Everyone, this is Hayley. She ran away from her own twenty-first birthday party to keep from murdering some fool who was making her night miserable. Since nobody is allowed to be sad, tonight, and she  _ really _ shouldn’t be allowed to be sad on her own birthday, I asked her to join us.”

Elijah and Marcel both jumped up. Marcel grabbed Rebekah’s chair, took her hand, and guided her into it. He then kissed her hand before pushing the chair in for her. Elijah could hear Niklaus snorting in the background, but personally, he thought it was cute. Perhaps a little over the top, but they were here to celebrate their engagement. Somewhat flamboyant displays were to be expected, tonight. After all, the evening was supposed to be all about making Rebekah feel special.

He had to laugh at Hayley’s raised eyebrow when he grabbed an unused chair from the next table and held it for her. “I’ll leave displays like that to my future brother-in-law, but I  _ am _ still a gentleman. Please, have a seat.” 

“Thank you.” Her smile as she sat down was downright captivating.

“You are very welcome.” As he pushed her chair in, he suddenly noticed that he had put Hayley next to his own seat. The only downside to that was that it made it harder for him to look at her without being obvious about it. 

And then Rebekah went around the table introducing everyone. Though, Hayley didn’t seem to be paying much attention. Then again, something had happened to her that was bad enough to make her leave her own birthday party. She certainly had a right to be distracted.

“Honestly, Rebekah. Some things never change.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Nik.”

“You were always bringing stray kittens and wounded birds home as a child. Your helpless animals may have gotten bigger, but your need to fix everything hasn’t.”

Elijah sighed. He would have said something about his brother talking about this poor girl as if she wasn’t there, except… it seemed as if her mind, at least, was a million miles away, anyway.

“So, Hayley, which one are you?”

Hayley blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I was just wondering what kind of helpless animal my baby sister has brought us this time. Are you a stray kitten or a wounded bird?”

“Leave her alone, Niklaus.”

“No. It’s fine. I’m the one intruding on a family gathering, after all.”

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “It isn’t intruding when the guest of honor doesn’t just invite you, but makes you go.”

Hayley laughed at that, a sound that Elijah found himself wanting to hear more of. If this girl didn’t disappear on them at the end of the night, he was willing to make it his personal mission to make her laugh more often. Maybe even manage to do something about that haunted look in her eyes.

“I guess that would make me a wounded bird. I mean, I have a home. I’m just having a rough night. A few hours of fun and a chance to forget my problems for a while and I should be good as new.”

“Well, since you seemed to zone out during the introductions, let’s try this again. I’m Marcel. You’ve already met my girlfriend, Rebekah.”

“Excuse me? I’m your what, now?” Rebekah raised her left hand and waggled her fingers at him, making everyone else at the table laugh. 

“My bad. My fiancee Rebekah. We just got engaged today and, to be honest, I still haven’t quite wrapped my brain around the fact that she actually said yes. I mean… look at her. I’m still trying to figure out what she sees in me.”

“And I’m Niklaus. But everyone calls me Klaus. Well… except Rebekah, who calls me Nik. And big brother Elijah, here. _He_ insists on always using my full name as if I’m being scolded for something.”

“Well, Niklaus, maybe if you weren’t so often in need of a scolding, I wouldn’t always sound like I was giving you one.”

Rebekah rolled her eyes, and shook her head. “Honestly, you two. Can’t you stop bickering for one bloody night? That’s all I ask. One night where the two of you actually get along.”

“We get along just fine, little sister. But, we have been bickering longer than you have been alive. It’s what brothers do. And it isn’t as if you don’t do your fair share of bickering with Kol.”

“Fine! Whatever! Elijah, I believe we agreed it was your turn to buy the drinks?”

“Yes. I believe it is. Hayley, I know the others well enough to order for them, but what will you have?” When she just stared at him, he slapped his forehead. “Right. Twenty-first birthday. Granted, you would hardly be the first person to not have waited until you were legal. Do you have a preference?”

“Not really. I’ve stolen sips of wine, and been to a couple keggers in high school. But… all any of that taught me is that I hate beer, and while I’m sure there’s a wine out there that I might like, I have yet to find it.”

Elijah chuckled at that. “Rebekah is rather fond of fruity cocktails. I can get you one of those to start, and we’ll go from there. I’ve got you covered.” And then he winked at her before turning and walking away.

** ~Love And War~ **

Hayley didn’t really hear what Elijah said. Listening to him talk had already been flustering her. Adding a ridiculously seductive laugh to the mix was not helping. Neither was the wink he gave her before he walked away.

She couldn’t help watching him walk. The fit of his pants left just enough to the imagination to get her imagination going. Damn! The man had a great ass. She tried to remind herself that she was supposed to be engaged, but that thought started to bring bile up, again, so she shoved it aside, and let herself enjoy the view. 

Until Rebekah leaned over. “See something you like, dear?”

Hayley could feel her face getting warm and realized that she was probably turning bright red. “I… I should probably go before I make an even bigger fool of myself. Rebekah, Marcel, congratulations. I’m sure you’ll both be very happy. It was nice meeting all of you. Tell Elijah it was nice meeting him, too. I…” She stood up.

But Rebekah grabbed her arm and pulled her back into her seat. “Nonsense. You are not making a fool of yourself. I will say one thing before we change the subject, and that is that Elijah is very much single. So, if you were to make a move, you wouldn’t be stepping on any toes.”

“Really? Sitting here ogling a man I just met, in front of his siblings, who I also just met, isn’t making a fool of myself?” Had she really just said that? Her filter seemed to have been tossed out a window somewhere. And she was about to add alcohol to this? 

Klaus just smirked and leaned back in his chair. “I like this one. Can we keep her?”

“I don’t know. That seems to be up to Elijah.”

Hayley put her face in her hands. “Okay, this conversation is officially downright mortifying. Can we please change the subject?”

“So, what do you do for a living, Hayley? Or are you still in school?”

“Not in school. College… wasn’t for me. Right now, I work retail while I try to figure out what the hell I want to do with the rest of my life.” Or rather, while she tried to figure out a way to have a say in the rest of her life. She sighed. “I swear, I am like the least interesting person on the planet.”

“Nonsense. Where do you work?”

Hayley tried not to let her panic show. The last thing she needed was for one of her new friends to show up at her work looking for her. Nobody would have any idea who Hayley was. “It’s just this little hole in the wall boutique. Honestly, nothing I can see you being interested in.”

“Do you get the idea that our little wounded bird just doesn’t want us to know much about her?”

“It’s not really that. I just… I came out here tonight to get away from my real life for a little while. I’d really rather not talk too much about it, if that’s okay?” Rebekah was nodding sympathetically, but Klaus looked unconvinced. She shook her head. “Okay, fine. Full disclosure. I’ve led a pretty sheltered life. My parents died when I was a baby. Their best friends took me in. My whole life has been all about ‘what they would want’ for me. Which means that I haven’t ever really had a say in much of anything. Tonight was the first time I’ve had a chance to just be… Hayley. You guys don’t know me. You don’t know my past. You’ve never known my parents. And, for the first time in my life, I feel like I can just be myself. But, the thing is, the answers to all the usual getting to know you questions… don’t mean anything. They have nothing to do with who I really am. They belong to someone else. Someone that… one of these days, I’m going to leave this city, and leave her behind. Because she isn’t me. Not really.” 

“Well, you are officially not allowed to leave the city without telling me where you’re going. I like to think that I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I like you. I think that if you give us a chance, we can be good friends.” And then she smirked. “And really, Nik should stop being such a pain in the ass. I think that most of us would quite like to have a friend that… we can all just be ourselves with. Leave our family baggage at home, too.”

“So, we have a deal, then? I don’t ask about your family or any of the other typical superficial questions people ask when they’re getting to know someone new, and you don’t ask me. And we instead get to all just be ourselves.”

“I like that plan. Though, I don’t mind most of the normal questions.” Elijah set a tray of drinks down in the center of the table and started handing them out. From the looks of it, Hayley and Rebekah had the same thing. “Hayley, I had them make yours a little weaker than Rebekah’s. I figured that would give you a chance to get used to it.”

As Elijah handed Hayley her drink, their hands brushed, causing an involuntary shiver. What the hell was wrong with her? How in the world was she reacting this much to a total stranger? And, to make it worse, she heard Klaus snickering. Which meant that her reaction had not gone unnoticed. Wonderful. 

She risked a look at Elijah. If he was affected by the touch, or had noticed how she was, he wasn’t showing any signs of it. Which was a good thing, really. She took a sip of her drink and couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, what is this thing?”

“Something called a Bahama Mama. It’s one of Rebekah’s favorites. I know nothing, I was just the waiter.”

“Well, this is like drinking sunshine. Oh my God.” Then she laughed. “Which is probably a really cliche and stupid thing to say. But, I don’t know how else to put it. This is amazing.” 

“Well, I’m glad you like it.” And then he picked up his glass. “To Rebekah and Marcel. May the future you are about to embark on together bring you nothing but happiness. And may you give me lots of nieces and nephews to spoil.” 

Rebekah flushed, while everyone else laughed and clinked their glasses together. It was all rather bittersweet for Hayley. Seeing Rebekah and Marcel so happy, so obviously in love, and knowing that she was never going to be allowed to have that for herself.

But, before she could get too melancholy, Elijah was leaning over and whispering in her ear. “I fear I may be a bit presumptuous, but I have always wondered what that tastes like. Though never quite enough to order one for myself.”

“Are you asking me for a taste of my drink?” At Elijah’s nod, Hayley smiled. “Only if you let me have a sip of yours, too.”

Elijah held out his glass. “You probably won’t like it. Since you aren’t used to drinking, I can’t imagine that straight scotch is going to go down well. But, you’re welcome to try it.”

Hayley took the offered glass and took a sip. And immediately choked. “Holy shit! That  _ burns _ .”

Elijah chuckled. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now, fair is fair. I believe we had a deal?”

Hayley was still coughing at the burning sensation in her throat, but she held her glass out to Elijah. “If you like your drink, you’ll probably think this is too tame and fruity. But, I like it.”

Elijah took a drink and then smiled. “Okay, ‘tame and fruity’ definitely seems to sum it up. But, I can see why you girls like it. It’s not bad.” He handed her glass back to her.

When Hayley leaned over to take another drink, a perverse little voice in her head whispered that Elijah’s lips had just been where hers were now. It was a weird thought to have, made even weirder by the effect it had on her. How in the world could something as simple as drinking out of the same straw as him be getting her so flustered?

And then she looked up to see Klaus and Rebekah both staring at her. Klaus had that same smirk he had on his face when he caught her watching Elijah walk. Lovely, perfect. She just could not seem to stop making a fool of herself where Elijah was concerned. And the man himself seemed to be either completely oblivious, or was at least pretending to be so as not to embarrass her, but his siblings were another story altogether. She found herself really wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. Especially since she already knew that Rebekah wasn’t going to let her leave and spare herself that embarrassment. 

Honestly, it had to be just as weird to them as it was to her. Who wanted to sit there and watch some girl they didn’t even know undress their brother with her eyes, anyway? You would think they would want her gone as badly as she wanted to leave.

But, no. Rebekah was quite adamant that Hayley stay and hang out with them. If she was uncomfortable with the way Hayley couldn’t help reacting to Elijah, she was hiding it very well.

And then Rebekah was yanking her to her feet and dragging her back to the bathroom. 

 

  



End file.
